Technology and Drugs
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Introduction
This module focuses on technology and the FDA. Medical technology might be broadly defined as any scientific discovery that finds its application in delivering health care. In essence, it results from the application of scientific knowledge produced by biomedical research and adapts certain developments from other scientific fields, such as chemistry, physics, engineering, etc. This broad definition, then, embraces drugs, equipment, devices, information systems, and surgical procedures.
It was not very long ago that families had nothing more than thermometers and heating pads as their diagnostic and treatment tools at home. Now they have sophisticated, yet portable, equipment, devices, radiofrequency technology, and computer systems to monitor their heart and lungs, test their blood sugar levels, administer medications, and improve their levels of independent functioning within their own environments.
Although we are seeing increasingly sophisticated medical technology in the US and other developed countries, further advances are constantly being made. As a result of the addition of medical nanotechnology to existing knowledge of molecular and cellular biology, it is likely that new, more personalized, more accurate, and more rapid diagnostic techniques will be devised in the future.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the essential and expanding role and potential risks of health information technology and informatics for the AHCS.
- Identify policies used to foster development of health information systems and describe the potential role of electronic health records in quality and cost.
- Identify areas regulated by the FDA with a focus on the process of drug approval for both brand name and generic medications.
